Trish fixed Gabriel with a frosty look and stuck her pert nose in the air. “I thought Irishmen liked well-endowed redheads. I know you’ve relocated here to Scotland but aren’t you veering from your ancestral DNA by chasing after little bitty brunettes?”
Gabriel laughed aloud at the tension-breaking question and stretched out a hand of welcome to Trish. He rested his arm in a subtle sign of claiming across the back of Nessa’s chair. “I’ve been burnt by such a fire many a time before. Let’s just say I feared ye would be too hot to handle and I sought to steer clear of such pain again.”
“What a line of bullshit!” Trish snorted as she downed her second glass of ale.
“Ye see?” Gabriel nodded around the table. “The spitfire just proved my point!” He turned to Nessa, picked up her fork, and sliced into the decadent dessert. Rich, chewy chocolate cake surrounded a center of oozing dark chocolate swirling into the heavy cream and powdered sugar layered upon the plate.
“Taste this and tell me ye ever had better. I promise ye. Ye’re going to love it and ye’ll no’ be able to get enough.” Gabriel’s tone mesmerized Nessa. She had the nagging feeling he implied a lot more than just the dessert.
Brodie coughed and scooted his chair sideways. He fiddled with his silverware on the table and cleared his throat again.
“Brodie, are you okay?” Nessa looked away from the bite of cake, grateful for the interruption. Brodie reminded her of one of her students who was in dire need of a dash to the restroom facilities.
Brodie cut his eyes across the table at Gabriel with a jerk of his head. “Careful, Nessa. Ye canna be trusting a man who’ll resort to plying a woman with chocolate the first time he sees her. Ye never know what other treachery he might be planning for ye when ye least expect it.”
Nessa cut her eyes back at the bite of dessert still held just within reach of her mouth. She had the distinct feeling if she took that first symbolic bite, she’d never be able to resist the rest. She stole a glance at the dark depths of Gabriel’s eyes and suppressed a smile. She wondered what his definition of all night long might be.
Her decision made, she wet her lips and eased open her mouth. Leaning forward, she closed her lips around the bite of dessert, her eyes never leaving Gabriel’s face.
She closed her eyes. It was pure perfection. Nessa shivered at the rich confection melting on her tongue. “Oh, my…this is absolutely wonderful. Please give my compliments to the chef!”
She had always had a weakness for chocolate. How had Gabriel known? With her past disappointing experiences with men, in her opinion, chocolate was better than sex.
“I accept your compliments,” Gabriel purred, shooting a satisfied sneer in Brodie’s direction. He scooped up another forkful, holding it once more in front of Nessa’s mouth. His lips curled into a predatory smile as he waited for her to recover from the first delightful taste.
“You made this?” Nessa gave a delighted shudder as she swallowed the delicious morsel. The rich sweetness lingered on the back of her tongue long after the bite was gone. As she licked her lips, she hugged herself. The sumptuous cake overloaded her mouth with its wicked richness. The dessert luxuriated decadence itself, one bite was almost too much.
Trish took her own fork and stole a bite from the plate. “The man has good looks and cooks too. That’s just great,” she muttered as she licked the chocolate from her fork.
Nessa tried to take the fork from his hand. She swallowed hard as Gabriel shook his head.
“Nay, lass. Ye must allow me to feed ye. That way I don’t miss a moment of the pleasure in your eyes as ye enjoy what I’ve prepared for ye.”
An uncomfortable stirring rumbled in the pit of her stomach, and Nessa didn’t think it was a problem digesting her meal. She didn’t like the way Gabriel’s words insinuated something more than the mere enjoyment of the dessert. Men didn’t come on to her like this. She’d learned that lesson the hard way. She didn’t know what Gabriel’s problem was but there was just something about him that didn’t ring true.
Nessa fended him away as she licked the chocolate syrup from her lips. “Oh, no more. It’s almost too rich. I don’t think I can stand another bite.”
Gabriel barbed the MacKays with a smirk of victory as his self-satisfied laughter rumbled deep from within his chest. “Then tomorrow night, ye must allow me to cook ye a private dinner. I guarantee I’ll fix ye something a great deal more tempting than a simple shepherd’s pie.” Gabriel tossed the fork upon the dessert plate and slid it to the center of the table.
“Well, I don’t know,” Nessa hedged, sidling a glance over at Trish for moral support. There was just something about Gabriel Burns that set off her warning bells.
Trish kicked Nessa’s ankle under the table and gave her a determined best-friend look. Her eyes snapped as she mouthed the words, Are you kidding me? Go for it.
Trish pulled a notepad from her purse, jotted down an address, and tossed it across the table to Gabriel. “Forgive her, Gabriel. She’s a bit off her game tonight because it’s been a while since she’s taken the time to forget about work for longer than two minutes at a time. Once you get to know her, you’ll find out she’s great. Here’s the address of the inn where we’re staying and that’s the number to the phone in Nessa’s room.”
Gabriel smiled and accepted Trish’s peace offering with a gracious bow of his head. Folding the paper and placing it in his pocket, his smile widened as he rose from his seat. “Until tomorrow night then, my dear, sweet Nessa. I’ll pick ye up around eight. How will that be?”
“That’ll be fine.” Nessa kicked back at her beaming friend beneath the table. Trish had never known when to butt out when it came to fixing her up with men and apparently, tonight wasn’t going to be any different.
“Please excuse me. I must tend to my business though I’d much rather stay with present company. Brodie, Fiona…’twas good to see ye again. I’ll be taking care of both these tabs tonight.”
Edging his way around the table, Gabriel rested his hand on Nessa’s shoulder. As he spoke, his fingertips caressed the skin at the nape of her neck, and he allowed them to tarry just a little bit longer than necessary.
Trish whistled under her breath as she watched Gabriel prowl across the room. “You’ve hit the jackpot with that one for sure. Let’s see your dream Highlander compare with that Irishman!”
“Her dream Highlander?” Brodie’s expression perked as he looked between the two women.
Nessa kicked Trish under the table again. Time to go. Trish had hit her loose-lipped limit with the alcohol and was starting to spout personal stuff. “Never mind. It’s just an inside joke, and Trish has had way too much ale.” Rising to her feet, Nessa grabbed her friend by the sleeve and pulled her toward the door. “Come on, Trish. It’s getting late. We’ve got to let Brodie and Fiona get home.”
